RCB doubles parking fee in Saddar

Rawalpindi
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has increased the parking fee in Saddar from Rs20 to Rs40 for cars and from Rs10 to Rs20 for motorcycles, causing resentment among the residents.
Initially, when the RCB launched parking spaces in Saddar, the parking fee was fixed at Rs20 for cars and Rs10 for a motorcycles, but just after one month parking fees were doubled.
Rawalpindi Cantonment Board official spokesman Raja Rizwan Ahmed, when contacted by ‘The News’, admitted the fact, but was reluctant to give reason behind the increase in parking fees. He said “I will talk to the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board chief executive officer (CEO) on this issue.”
A key official of the RCB, on condition of anonymity, said that the authorities have given the contract of parking spaces in Saddar to private contractors. The private contractors have doubled parking fees, he said.
The people interviewed by 'The News' expressed resentment over the exorbitant increase in parking fees.
Muhammad Imran Abbasi, a resident of Rawalpindi, said that Rs20 parking fee for a car and Rs10 for a motorcycle were reasonable. "But, doubling the fees within one month is not acceptable," he said.
Naira Hameed, a workingwoman, said that the authorities should think about providing maximum relief to citizens. She pointed out another problem concerning to the newly-established ‘Food Street’ and said shopkeepers there were selling food items at much higher rates as compared to other markets.
The residents demanded of the authorities to reduce the parking fees so that people could enjoy their visit to the Food Street in Saddar.